Come Into These Arms
by Kay the Cricketed
Summary: (Chp. Two up, David/Jalil SLASH m/m) Eee, new couple! Scary. ^_^ There are three things all people need most: Air, Food, and Love. David and Jalil are only missing *one* of them for now.
1. Adumbration

Come Into These Arms 

By Kay 

Disclaimer: Hmmm... do I own Everworld yet? No? *DAMN IT ALL*. 

Author's Notes: La la, inspired pretty late, was listening to sad sad song, decided to give it a try. Basically... uh... am very bored. To lazy to write on my other fics. Erm. 

... it's David/Jalil slash. You can shoot me now, if you want. 

While I don't really see this as a *huge* potential pairing, (like Christopher and Jalil's obvious infatuations with each other! Mwahahahaa!), I do indulge in it often. Like Christopher/David slash, it has a special place in my heart-- yet is overshadowed usually by my will for C/J slash. However! It has triumphed in taking at least one fic place! ... stupid evil D/J slash. 

Yes, it's pointless, OOC, and badly written. And yes, the Hetwen probably wouldn't do this. I WAS DESPERATE. Ignore it. :D Thank youuuu~. 

... and if you haven't heard it, go get "Love Song for a Vampire" by Annie Lennox. NOW. It inspired this. Is pretty, gorgeous, heartbreaking song. I love it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"David, are you still awake?" It should have been a whisper, really, but it echoed unnaturally in the stillness that surrounded them. 

David tilted his head to the left, somehow distantly aware that it wouldn't matter, because no matter which way he looked it was all pitch black. The darkness was impenetrable, surrounding them in a suffocating embrace. But the voice of the other teenager caught with him was loud in the silence, coming from the left. He assumed he was around there, then. 

"Yeah. I can't sleep at a time like this," he said simply. The words hung awkwardly between them, reminding the two boys of where they were. 

Somewhere to his left, David heard Jalil shift. The sound of his body scraping slightly against hard granite stone sounded crushingly loud to his ears. The chamber wasn't particularily small, about the size of his old bedroom from Jalil's estimations when they first were thrown in. The dark skinned scientist insisted on fumbling around until he figured out the general estimates of the place they were being kept. 

It wasn't really big. But there was still air, and that was a blessing. Though who knew for how long? 

Speaking of air-- "I thought you said we shouldn't talk a lot," David reminded Jalil bluntly. He glanced off again to the left, uncomfortable with the eerie sensation of looking off into complete darkness. They'd closed off any light source when they threw them in. 

Jalil snorted-- and although his face wasn't visible, David could see the look of irritation on his face. "Of course we shouldn't. But really, would you rather wait in silence, and go insane by the time the air supply runs out? This is really creepy." 

"Yeah..." David gritted his teeth, repressing a shudder. "I just get this feeling there's more to this than it seems. They wouldn't leave valuable prisoners down here to rot... or to run out of air and die. Wouldn't they, you know... interrogate us first?" 

"Why would they want to ask us questions?" 

"We're the leaders of the Greek army, for god's sake! We could have some sort of information, I mean, something that would be useful--" 

Jalil interrupted him in exasperation. "Oh yes. We know the secret of how to destroy the gods. No, David, we have nothing they feel they need. They think they've won, so what's the point of asking prisoners questions?" 

"Why not just kill us outright?" David protested, sitting up against the hard surface of the wall behind him. It felt slightly damp, like the stone had been wet at one point earlier. It wasn't a thought he wanted to think about-- water sloshing and filling the entire room-- 

"Because they're sadists? Jesus, I don't know." Jalil was silent a moment before speaking again, exhaling loudly. "God, this sucks. So this is what Hetwan do to people who Ka Anor can't eat. I should be surprised, but it really makes sense when you think about it." 

Sighing heavily, David leaned back against the stone again and closed his eyes. His head was aching already-- staying in one place with nothing to do, forced to be here like this... it wasn't something he was used to. He hated it. And naturally, Jalil would have to start analyzing the Hetwan and such-- 

"Why?" he finally said, giving up. "Okay, so why does it make sense?" 

He could almost see Jalil's triumphant, smug grin even in the endless darkness of their prison. "Because it's just like the Hetwan's personality. See, any other bad guy or villian would get pleasure in torturing and killing their victims, in as violent a way as possible. Usually this is just the way the mind works-- they want them gone as soon as possible, in a really bad way." 

"So?" 

"So the Hetwan aren't ordinary like that. My guess is that they're as indifferent as they seem to everything around them-- if it's not directly to do with Ka Anor, what's the use? They're willing to give their lives for this thing. As we aren't a direct threat, supposedly, what use is there for us? Here, we are out of picture and mind." Jalil's breathing quietened for a second, as though he was concentrating on thinking. "... here, they can leave us and just forget. No worry, no fuss, nothing to deal with." 

"Until they have to clean our rotting corpses out," David replied sullenly. He rubbed at his eyes with his right hand, feeling the sore bruise on his arm protest when he moved it. "I'm glad you've figured out how come we're going to die like this. Now can you figure a way out?" 

"It's an airtight, solid granite room, David. I don't think we'll be going _anywhere_." 

Resisting the urge to hit something, David just shook his head. It was a pointless gesture in their dark enclosure, but somehow the familiar gesture gave him comfort. "Well, do Christopher and April know where we are?" 

"If they do? I seriously doubt they'll be coming to save us, general." 

"Damn it, Jalil, I'm just trying to think of ways to--" 

Something grabbed him in the dark. Jerking back violently, David wretched his arm free of the tight vise it'd been clamped in. The other hand was already reaching for his sword, the heavy yet familiar reassurance at his side-- 

"Christ, David, it's just me!" 

David stopped, furiously silent as Jalil's annoyed protest broke through his defenses and into his brain. His heart felt like it was thudding a million times a second, pounding harshly against his ribs and chest. 

"Don't do that again," he finally said, as his breathing evened. "Warn me next time you do something that _stupid_ again." 

He didn't have to see Jalil's dark brown eyes to know they were flashing in anger. The mocha skinned boy's next words confirmed it, though. "Screw you, David. What did you think, you were being attacked by giant rodents?" 

"They're always a possibility," David said through clenched teeth. He settled down again warily, resisting the urge to reach out and kick with a foot to see if it would connect with Jalil's legs. "What were you doing, anyway?" 

There was a pause, and more awkward silence gently drifting in the air. 

"I wanted to..." 

"Yeah?" 

Jalil's voice was weighed down with reluctance, as he said, "I just wanted to... make sure you were still there. Damn this, I can't even _see_. It's driving me crazy-- which is probably the point of it." 

"Oh..." Well, there wasn't much to say to that. David bit his lip uncomfortably, trying not to dwell on the thought that if Jalil was freaking out, then it wouldn't be to far before he started. "Just warn me next time. I mean, I'm here, so don't worry. Not much of anywhere else to go, after all. So, uh, yeah." 

His attempts at reassurance, David reflected, were really lame. 

"It's stupid... that something like taking away light affects a person so much," Jalil mused next to him, his voice sounding very quiet and far away. David recognized it as the tone he used whenever thinking about something else entirely. 

"I guess since we depend on it so much..." he shrugged, unable to come up with a better answer to the rhetorical sentance. 

"Yeah. Habituation or whatever. Who knows." 

"Usually you do," David said listlessly, trying not to glance to the left like his brain was telling him too. There was no use without the light to see. 

Jalil's voice indicated a smile-- something that surprised the young general. "Yeah, well... not always. Not as much as I'd like to. Nobody knows everything, you know. We can try as hard as possible to, but it won't get you anywhere in the end." 

"That's... a depressing view." Blinking, David looked upwards at a cieling he couldn't see. It was strange to hear his friend talk so forebodingly, without the graceful confidence and firm knowledge that Jalil usually radiated. It seemed as though the darkness had swallowed that up as well. 

There wasn't an answer, but he could hear Jalil move slowly in the darkness, until the sound came right beside him. He waited, making no sound except the harsh breath escaping his lips, until he could feel by instinct that someone was right next to him. 

"Jalil?" 

"... yeah." The body settled next to him, inches away from brushing one of his arms. Jalil scooted backwards until his back was resting on the wall, and pulled his legs up to his chest-- David knew from the sounds. It was an easy picture to make in his head, and one that slightly comforted him. 

"What do we do now?" he asked quietly, still capturing that image in his mind's eye. There he could see Jalil turn and shrug carelessly at him. 

"Mmm... wait, I suppose. What else is there to do? If we get lucky, Christopher and April find some insane way of getting into the city to free us. If not, well... see you in the next lifetime, huh?" 

David almost grinned at the statement. "I thought you didn't believe in that crap, Jalil? About reincarnation and God?" 

"I don't," Jalil shot back petulantly. "It was a phrase, not meant to be taken literally. Besides, I think living one lifetime of hell is long enough, thank you. Why would you want to go through the same thing all over again?" 

"Maybe if it was worth it?" David closed his eyes wearily, although his mind was interested in this new conversation. He hadn't had a chance to just talk about his views for a long time. "Maybe if you wanted to make things better this time around?" 

"There is no better. You'd probably make worse mistakes, newer ones, and end up with a life just as flawed as the one before." Jalil let out a meloncholy chord of breath. "Unless that's what you want. Really, it is impossible, so it doesn't matter if you want it or not." 

"So where do you go when you die?" 

Jalil's responding chuckle was both dark and unhumorless. "Well, I'll tell you one thing-- when we die here, we're going one place. Wherever they dump our bodies." 

_Being a scientist must be a depressing job, if you keep thinking things like that._ David smiled at the thought, and for a second, felt a little more normal than he had been. However, the darkness soon banished the warm traces of reality, and he was plunged back into the place they were being kept. 

"We could still find someway to escape, maybe. There's a small chance, right?" 

"Not really. But if you want to get your hopes up, I won't stop you." 

David chewed on his lip thoughtfully before replying matter-of-factly, "Sometimes you're a real jerk, Jalil, did you know that?" 

He was rewarded with a small laugh from the dark-eyed boy, a tiny but truly amused sound. "Yeah, you're right. But you can be, too." 

"I know, but I'm not Christopher _yet_." They both laughed at that, louder as though it could scare away the dark, banish any fear from their rapidly shadowing spirits. It was shaky, almost forced laughter, but it brought more strength to David's mind. 

"He's not a bad guy," Jalil finally said, a teasing note in his voice. "At least, most of the time. Well, a very small bit of most of the time. I mean, sometimes if he really tries--" 

"--rarely, when he does--" 

"--he's actually a pretty nice guy," Jalil finished. They snickered again. 

After a while, they fell silent. But now it was a more gentle, trusting quiet that graced them, putting them at ease, and David could feel the edges of desperation receding. To laugh at the night... to scorn the possibility of giving up, even in this circumstance... 

He closed his eyes again, soothed by the steady sound of Jalil's breathing next to him. The thin, dark-eyed boy was as untalkative as he was feeling, slumping against the stones from the sound of it. Every few moments, he would move his position, attempting to get comfortable. It was hard to ignore the sounds, and after a second, David's eyes wrenched open. 

"Hey, look-- I don't know about you, but I want to sleep... Can you keep it down?" 

"I'm _trying_," Jalil grumbled, and the sound of an open palm hitting the granite floor followed. "I can't get comfortable here. A bed would be nice. Heck, a pillow would be. I'll even take a rolled up coat right now, if it means--" 

"Oh shut up," David interrupted in irritation, exhaling in exasperation. He groped out blindly in the darkness to his left, coming into contact with a steady warmth that could only belong to a human. "Jeez, it's not like we usually sleep anywhere nice, anyway--" 

"David...?" Jalil asked darkly. The warning in his voice caused the young leader to pause. 

"Uh... what?" 

"Stop groping me, and get your damn hands _off_." With that, a surprisingly wiry but strong hand snatched his away, and gripped it tight enough to feel the blood recede. David grimaced at the slight pain, before the words sunk in, and blanched. 

If it were light in the chamber, they would have seen the bright red blush on his features. 

"I-I... uh... shit. Sorry." 

"You're forgiven," Jalil said slowly. He let go of his imprisoned hand, and sighed. "Now what were you trying to do?" 

David, shaking his hand free of the tingles pain left behind, scowled. "Well, now I'm not sure I want to..." 

"Oh for chrissake..." 

"It's not my fault I can't see in the dark, you didn't have to practically rip my hand off," the young general retorted furiously. "I don't _want_ to grope you!" 

"I didn't say you did!" Jalil snapped, "So drop the subject, okay?! I'm sorry I hurt your stupid hand." 

David gritted his teeth, but said nothing except a low breathy mutter about ingratefulness. Then, the red receding from his face, he reluctantly conceded, "Well... it's okay. I should have watched where I was grabbing anyway. I mean, if I could watch. Or whatever." 

"Hn. Well, what were you trying to do?" 

Shrugging off an uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty, David reached out again. This time, more careful, he felt higher and more cautiously than before. Soon he found what was unmistakably a slim, bony shoulder, and sighed in relief. 

"What are you--?" Jalil paused in confusion, tense under his touch. 

"This," he answered simply, tugging Jalil so that the teenager fell directly over to him. His body fell sideways until it leaned against David's, his head resting lightly on his own shoulder. Immeadiatly, the warmth of the contact seared through both their bodies-- and he could feel Jalil's responding shiver. 

"... well?" Jalil finally said, stiff and unrelaxing. David could practically hear the steeled, hidden fierceness under the deceptively light tone, and quickly explained. 

"You were uncomfortable. I'm not going to sit around and listen to you complain for an hour, when I'm really tired. If you lean on me, you'll shut up and sleep, too, right? It's better than stone, at least." 

_That's the only reason, too,_ David told himself swiftly. _It has nothing to do with how much you're craving someone else's body heat. To make sure you're not alone in this place. It's not that you're afraid or anything..._

Apparently, the same thoughts were running through his friend's head, because Jalil simply nodded. And after a moment, also said as an afterthought, "Thanks." 

David leaned back against the wall again, closing his eyes, shifting so that his friend could lean safely on him. The other boy was slow to relax, but as the time stretched out, the unyielding body next to him softened and melted slowly into his. Jalil's head tucked itself lightly on his shoulder, pressing into the fabric hesitantly. 

"Should we really be going to sleep here?" he asked tiredly, not really caring the answer, as his mind slowly shut down. 

"Probably not," Jalil said. "Go ahead. I don't think it will matter later." 

And with the warmth radiating against his body, David drifted off to sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

To be Continued... (I have to many damn fics that say that. At least I plan to finish 'em all. Eep.) 

Anyway! ^^;; Yes, I don't like it. But I'm happy to stick random people in rooms and make them either go insane or get together. I'll think of plausible things later-- right now, I'm just having fun. Please enjoy it! :D Even if you don't like David/Jalil slash, it'll get interesting. I think. 

... and more slashy. Next chapter. Ooohhhhhh. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	2. Foreshadowing

Come Into These Arms 

By Kay 

Author's Notes: Ignoring the disclaimer-- see Chapter one if you're really concerned. ^^;; EEE! More David/Jalil! I am a pioneer on the EW slash realm! Or something like that. Really, C/J is better, but this fic's grown on me. Damn it. 

... more slashy dark cuteness? In OOC style, although I'm using the excuse that anyone's mind would be messed up after being shut in a place like that for to long? Enjoy! ^_^ Ahh, lovely... rambling. I suck. 

Jalil: Why is this chapter so long, yet says nothing? 

David: She's good at that... as a reward, though, I get to do more cuddling with you next chapter. 

Jalil: ... sneaky, evil woman. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

David's mind was slowly awakening, dusting at the edges of cobwebs scattered over his brain, and clearing the haze of sleep. It was a gently growing process, with tendrils of coherency curling around his thoughts. Finally, he managed to release one surprised, wondering realization out of his still-half asleep world. 

_It's so warm..._

Considering this for a second, he felt confused. The last time he had been warm like this had been in his own bed, back at home with his mother. Blue electric blanket in the winter. Things he hadn't thought about for ages it felt, that swimmed in his mind with unfamiliar ease. And with that concern, he remembered where he was. 

_That's right. I'm in Everworld now, for good. There is no mom or room or bed, and definatly not blue electric blankets._

Slowly understanding the logic of it, he drew to a new problem and conclusion. 

_Where am I? It's warm, but very hard on my back... Stone. Granite. The Hetwens--?!_

It came back in a flood, a sudden flash of comprehension, and David's eyes wrenched open from sleep-- only to meet darkness. The room they had been held in was no more lighter than it had been before, cloaked in shadow without any visibility whatsoever. For a second, his gaze searched frantically for any source of light. 

_We're still alive... _

At least, he was. Hesitating, he tensed again, feeling the previous warmth-- and finally naming it. Remembering the way he'd fallen asleep, Jalil's body heat pressing against his side, he experimentally shifted. 

It was warm because Jalil was still against him, of course. He relaxed, though feeling a little uneasy. The dark-eyed teenager was obviously asleep, melting against him like candle wax, pressing but not demanding. His head was laid on his shoulder securely-- and his breath was soft and barely noticable on his shirt. Still alive. 

Slumping down against the granite again, David sighed warily, and closed his eyes. There wasn't any point in having them open, obviously. 

_Slept, but we're still alive. How much air do we have left? How long's it been since we were captured? Since we slept?_

He toyed absently with the hilt of his sword, still left to him. _Will they really just leave us here to die...?_ The thought created a sick lurch in his stomach. 

As if hearing his thoughts, Jalil shifted slightly and mumbled something in his sleep. Settling down, David attempted to lay very still, although he wasn't sure why it mattered. It seemed like he was in a dreamworld. Or maybe he didn't want to loose the human contact in the darkness. It could have been that at least one of them deserved some rest before... whatever lay in store for them. Or maybe-- 

_Forget it. Just don't wake him up, let him sleep. If Christopher and April come to rescue us--_ and David refused to entertain that it was just a dim hope-- _we'll need all the energy we can get. Just gotta wait._

Next to him, Jalil slept on, and breathed warmth against his shoulder. To David's surprise, the boy was practically curled up against him, as close as possible. Almost cat-like. The idea brought a small grin to his face. 

_He'll be embarrassed when he wakes up, but that's the least of my worries,_ David admitted to himself. Although he actually could really use some movement, considering the way his body was aching after sleeping on the stone all night-- or whatever long it had been. He quietly tried moving to stretch his aching muscles, reaching his arms high in the air and pressing his legs farther against the floor. 

Jalil said something, muffled and low. 

David froze momentarily, still stuck in his stretching position, as the boy fell silent again. After a long second, he slowly relaxed again, feeling Jalil's breathing even out and slow once more. 

_I wonder how much air we have left...? Maybe I should wake him up, then._

Hesitantly and with caution, David prodded the thin shoulder against him. "Uh... Jalil?" he whispered, wincing at the harshness his voice seemed to have in the silence. 

"Jalil, man... time to wake up." A small groan answered him, and Jalil stirred slightly. "Hey, wake up!" 

"Ungh..." 

David felt the head on his shoulder lift up in confusion. Jalil, who took little time to recover from the realm of slumber and its effects, quickly processed their current position in his mind. He moved away off David faster than a snake recoiling from a bird of prey, shoving his back against the wall with a _"thumpf!"_. 

"Hey, it's just me!" David said quickly, trying to reassure the teenager. He reached out, fumbling in the dark and leaned forward. "It's David, remember? Hetwen? Prisoners? Probably going to die soon?" 

Heavy breathing was his only answer for a moment. Then, slowly, "Yeah... I remember." 

"Well, that's a relief." 

Silence for a moment, followed by Jalil's soft sigh as he relaxed. "So... how long have I been asleep?" he asked casually, the tension in his voice betraying the calm tone. David blinked in the pitch blackness of their cell, considering. 

"I don't know... it's been maybe, fifteen minutes since I woke up? Ten? Not long. Don't know how long I was sleeping either." 

"Well, that settles it. You woke me up for nothing." But then Jalil laughed, a low and deep sound in the dark that echoed around them. It was a near comfort to hear such a familiar sound, and when they leaned back against the wall, side by side, it was with lighter hearts. 

"Yeah, I guess I did," David said with a smile. 

"The air doesn't feel strained in here," Jalil mused, fading back into contemplating seriousness. "It's fresh. Not stale. I didn't notice that last night." 

"Say what?" 

"There's an opening somewhere," he replied, though without much hope. "The only problem is, now that I've figured that out, I don't know where it would be. I didn't find _anything_ when I checked. Although..." 

David frowned, turning to look at him-- then remembering he couldn't. Feeling slightly unsettled, he repeated, "Although?" 

"The ceiling." 

"Huh?" 

A loud and abrupt sound-- David realized the dark-eyed teenager had just snapped his fingers. "There must be some smaller openings in the ceiling! That let the air down inside. Like a jar with holes poked in the top to keep the, uh, lightening bugs alive." 

"So we're bugs," the general groaned slightly. "Thanks. Always wanted to know how they felt." 

Jalil chuckled lowly. "Well, now you know." 

"So... there are holes in the ceiling, huh?" The young general peered through the darkness upwards, as though he could penetrate through to the top. "That doesn't really help us much if we can't reach them. And even if we could, it's kind of pointless." 

"You don't _know_ that," Jalil protested. "We should still check it out." 

Resisting the urge to smile, David shook his head, blue eyes closing again. "I thought you weren't the optimistic one here?" 

"Oh shut up." 

There was a general silence, as they both contemplated the ceiling above them. Then, with an air of impatience and exasperation, Jalil stood up with a scraping sound. 

"Well," the dark-eyed teenager sighed. "Let's get to it." 

"To what?" David asked, frowning and slowly getting to his feet. His muscles groaned with protest, creaking slightly as he straightened for the first time in hours. It was a good sensation to him, though, and he reveled in the physical confirmation that he was alive. 

"What? Well, we're going to have to examine the ceiling," his companion replied crisply. Jalil paused for a second-- from what David could hear of his footsteps, he was walking further into the middle of the small room. "It's... not too far, I think, we might be able to get it if one of us is supported by the other... or maybe just a boost, it doesn't seem to echo loud enough for it to be very high..." 

"Supported by the other?" David echoed, feeling a sinking feeling. "You aren't saying you're going to try lifting me up, are you?" 

"... actually, I was thinking you lift _me_ up," Jalil grumbled, a hint of embarrassment and frustration in his tone. "I'm lighter." 

"Ah. Okay." Scratching his head, David looked up again. Still didn't see anything. 

"So... so how are we doing this?" 

Jalil was silent for a moment. Then, with a very humiliated mutter, "I guess you'll have to lift me on your shoulders?" 

"Ah. Okay." 

Another pause. 

"... Jalil, if you fall off and get a serious concussion, it's _not_ my fault." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Fifteen minutes later, David was more concerned with the fact that Jalil was really a _lot_ heavier than he'd previously thought. 

Oh sure, it looked as though he were all skin and bones. The dark-eyed boy was slender to a fault, with the most pronounced collarbone David had ever seen. Actually, David was fairly certain that he could circle Jalil's wrist with just one hand-- something he could do with few guys. All in all, he should have weighed less than a feather. 

He didn't. David's back was going to break in five seconds. 

"Jalil... christ, will you hurry up!?" 

"I am!" the teenager perched on his shoulders snapped, sounding just as uncomfortable as he was. "I'm trying to figure out where the air's coming from!" 

"Just hurry it up, then!" David bit back a groan and resisted the urge to dump the entire load of slender boy onto the floor. They'd considered forever how to do this, choosing in the end to have Jalil go up on David's shoulders, on his feet. Only it didn't go as planned. The first time, Jalil fell off-- and cursed fluently at David. The second attempt involved him managing to stand on his shoulders, but then being unable to keep his balance. That idea was thrown out. 

Finally, they ended up just letting Jalil sit on David, to explain basically. He squatted and Jalil wrapped his legs over his shoulders, awkwardly trying to position his weight. Which had no effect except that which nearly snapped David's neck in half. 

Now, he was trying to ignore the fact that Jalil's thighs were framing his neck, and being glad the darkness hid the huge blush he had on his face. This was not comfortable. Nor was it safe. And for him, it was really, really painful. 

"I'm never doing this again." 

"I know," Jalil said impatiently. "Just hold still-- and... okay, okay, let me down." 

"What?!" 

"I'm gonna _fall_, you jackass! Just put me _down_!" 

David attempted to lift his head a little, peering up through the blackness-- which caused off a chain reaction. Immeadiatly, Jalil slid backwards. 

"H-hey, wait... David, I'm-- _oomph_!" 

The weight slid off his shoulders, and a loud thud echoed thoroughout the room. 

There was a moment of terrified, frozen silence. A million thoughts ran through the young general's head at once, most of them centered on the fact that he probably had killed the only other living person for miles. 

"Jalil? Jalil, man, answer me!" 

After a long, frightening second, when there was no immeadiate answer, David kneeled to the ground and began groping out in the darkness. His fingertips touched nothing, no body warmth or fallen comrade at all. In rising desperation, he turned to the opposite side, fumbling in the shadows. 

"_Jalil!_" 

There. Brushing against cloth. David lunged forward on his knees, grasping the limb he'd found, and quickly deciding it was his shoulder. He leaned down, hesitantly reaching for where his friend's head should be-- 

"Nngh... _bastard_..." 

Relief. Relief so large, so overwhelmingly sweet that it crashed like a tidal wave over David's panicked mind. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Jalil... Jalil, man, you okay? It's David, answer me!" 

Shakily, in a slow and drawn out voice, Jalil answered. "... yeah. My head... hurts." 

"How bad is it?" 

He felt one of the arms shift near his other hand, and realized he was probably leaning right above Jalil's face. Feeling his face burn, although he wasn't sure why, he moved back slightly. Jalil took no notice of his sudden uncomfortable silence-- he was attempting to get up. The attempt seemed to falter, however, and he sank back to the stone with a loud groan. 

"God... get the number... of the freakin' bus that _hit_ me..." 

David managed to crack a grin. "Well, you sound okay." 

"No thanks... to you," grumbled Jalil. David could hear him as he sat up again, this time more successfully. The young scientist let out a drawn moan of pain, followed by a rather cross, "I think I'm bleeding." 

"Sorry." 

"Better be... ungh, that hurts. Everything hurts. Never, ever doin' that again..." 

David gently reached out, feeling resistance and recognizing it as Jalil's neck. He moved up and carefully felt around his head, listening to the boy huff and hiss in pain. "You might have a concussion... but, uh, I don't know. How is it?" 

"Not a concussion. Still hurts. Stupid floor," Jalil mumbled. He swatted his friend's wandering hands away, but not harshly. "I'll live, don't worry." 

"For a while at least," David replied absently. He glanced up at the cieling, shivering at the odd feeling he had once he remembered he couldn't see it anyway. "Did you find anything, or have we busted your head open for nothing?" 

"Not for nothing," the other youth murmered, still sounding pained. "I figured out where the air's coming from. There are... holes in the ceiling. Like the size of golfballs or something. Circular, maybe a few inches in diameter. There's cold air coming through there..." 

"So we won't die of suffocation." 

"Nope. Just starvation and dehydration, if we're lucky." 

David sighed heavily. "That's just great. Suddenly, I'm really glad I'm not a Viking, because they'd really hate this." 

"And we don't?" echoed Jalil in amusement. David started as he realized the other boy had stood up sometime while he was speaking, and his voice came from above. He felt a thin hand clasp his shoulder. 

"Huh?" 

"Come on, I'll help you up." 

"Aren't you the injured one?" he asked, but took the offered hand anyway, and stood. The muscles in his calves protested madly, but the sensation made him feel better. 

As they straightened together, a strange sort of feeling washed over David, something he would have matched akin to homesickness, but not quite. They stood in the dark a moment, hands still carefully entwined, silent. Jalil's fingers were smaller than his, warmer. They weren't as rough as his own, which were full of callouses from labor and the sword-hilt, but not as smooth as April's soft ones. Agile fingers. 

_'Like a pianist,_' he thought distantly, remembering a time far away in his old world, when his uncle had played for him. It had been years, back when the sight of those fingers moving like quickened liquid gold across the keys, had still been magical. _'He would make a great musician, if he had more emotion and passion.'_

As soon as he'd thought it, David blinked, snapping out of his daze. The stone room was still with the exception of their harsh breathing. Still holding hands, too, he realized. The young general fought the urge to flush, instead pushing away the unsettling confusion that was suddenly clouding his mind. 

_What exactly's going on here?_

He let go. 

The air around them was heavier than the stones surrounding it. 

"Well," David said in a falsely light tone. "I told you it wasn't my fault if you fell and got a concussion." 

The spell broken, Jalil laughed loudly. "Oh, yeah, but I'm still blaming you. I did tell you to put me down." 

"And I did! Just... not how you expected, that's all." 

"How dare you," the dark-eyed boy mocked lightly. "Making fun of an injured man. You're the lowest, Levin." 

"Yeah, that's me." David grinned warmly into the pitch blackness embracing them, and shook his head. "Heh..." 

_At least I know one thing,_ he later thought to himself, listening to Jalil's breathing in the endless expanse of shadow surrounding them. His fingers twitched, curling in on themselves, and he sighed softly. 

_At least I'm not alone... and at least it was him._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

To Be Continued: I didn't like this part. Mwergh. *sulks* Oh well. 

Next time we actually get some action! YAY! 

David: You mean I get laid? *eyes light up* 

... uh, no. Not yet, at least. I mean... okay, so some girl did tell me to make this a lemon, and I did consider doing it, until I remembered my lemons suck and I would be mortified to make one... but... no, David. No action like that. Maybe eventually. In a few chapters. 

David: ... you suck. 

^^;; Hope everyone enjoyed that! I promise to be faster next time, I just had writer's block... s'ank youuuu! 

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